logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2025
56m 33s

Alexandria: city of knowledge and cultur...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode
<p>Greg Jenner is joined in Egypt by historian Professor Islam Issa and comedian Athena Kugblenu to learn all about the history of science and philosophy in the city of Alexandria. Founded by ancient conqueror Alexander the Great, Alexandria from its earliest days was a city at the forefront of scientific discoveries, philosophical enquiry and religious deba ... Show More
Up next
Oct 30
Francis Galton (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined in Victorian England by historian and curator Subhadra Das and comedian Desiree Burch to learn all about the life of scientist and eugenics pioneer Francis Galton. He was many things: a Victorian gentleman scientist, an inventor of whacky devices, a pioneer ... Show More
28m 2s
Oct 23
The Iliad and Odyssey (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Greece by historian Dr Emily Hauser and comedian and actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe to learn about the epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey. Traditionally attributed to the poet Homer, these works tell parts of a legend that has fascinated us for centuries: ... Show More
28m 9s
Oct 16
The History of Fandom, 1700-1900 (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Corin Throsby and Stuart Goldsmith to look at early cultural fandom in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although many consider Beatlemania to be the start of what is now considered fan culture, Greg and his guests consider some much earlier and often hilar ... Show More
28m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
The City of Alexandria
<p>This is the story of a city that laid the foundations for our modern world. Sitting at the intersection of East and West, Alexandria has been home to many of humanity's greatest architectural and cultural achievements, like the famous Lighthouse and the storied Great Library. ... Show More
31m 10s
Oct 2025
Alexandria
This is the story of a city that laid the foundations for our modern world. Sitting at the intersection of East and West, Alexandria has been home to many of humanity's greatest architectural and cultural achievements, like the famous Lighthouse and the storied Great Library. Som ... Show More
31m 43s
Apr 2024
The Library of Alexandria
<p>The Library of Alexandria was one of the most important and most celebrated buildings of the ancient Mediterranean. It was a great hub of learning and literature and made Alexandria one of the ancient world’s foremost centres of knowledge and culture, and the jewel of the Nile ... Show More
39m 40s
Apr 2024
Alexandria: the ancient world's greatest city
When Alexander the Great founded a settlement at the junction of three continents in 331 BC, he created a metropolitan powerhouse that would shape global history. In this Long Read, Islam Issa hails the genius of ancient Alexandria – a colourful, multicultural and thoroughly mode ... Show More
17m 47s
Feb 2024
Alexandria: the first modern city
According to legend, when Alexander the Great rocked up on the island of Pharos in northern Egypt, he had a vision of a spectacular city – a vision that later became reality in the form of Alexandria. On the mainland nearby, connected by a new causeway to Pharos, the metropolis g ... Show More
30m 27s
Aug 2023
361. The Lost Library of Alexandria
One of the greatest institutions of the ancient world, the Library of Alexandria was the embodiment of ultimate learning, and a “repository of everything”. Built within the same complex as the tomb of Alexander the Great, it stood as a beacon of knowledge, boasting an unparallele ... Show More
54m 50s
Apr 2023
Alexandria: The Sunken City
<p>The Egyptian city of Alexandria was one of the greatest cities of the ancient Mediterranean world. Founded by Alexander the Great himself in 323BC, the metropolis was nurtured by his successors in Egypt, the Ptolemies, and flourished throughout the Late Hellenistic and Roman I ... Show More
36m 47s
Nov 2021
Hypatia of Alexandria
Hypatia of Alexandria wears many hats. Philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician. And for a woman in the 4th and 5th century... well that's a big deal. Hypatia helped shaped the minds of an entire generation of leaders, but not everyone was a fan. Join us here as we discuss her ... Show More
49m 26s
Sep 2021
Episode #139- What Became of the Great Library of Alexandria? (Part I)
The Egyptian city of Alexandria was once the most magnificent city on the Mediterranean. It was a city of wonders, whose culture was the envy of the Greek world. Tragically many of Alexandria's ancient treasures have been lost to time. Of all of these lost wonders none has been m ... Show More
1h 2m
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami